Computers that are maintained by enthusiasts last longer today. My setup is a great example of that since it is the same motherboard since 2008. Yes, it has received some upgrades with graphics cards, CPU and more RAM, but basically it is the same. There is no hardware reason why computers should not last 10 years at the moment. There haven't been any great need for computing power except for HD material for the average user.

Many people today unfortunately throw away their computer when they get spyware and other shit. Computers have plummeted in price and are cheaper than ever. It is much easier to buy a new one than software fixing your old one.

Ipads can't be compared to desktop PCs. It is much more "used" and prone to wear and tear. It also evolves in hardware much quicker just like mobile phones. Software designed for the Ipad 3 hardware specifications won't run on an Ipad 1.

I replaced a dead slow Athlon-64 computer at work with a P4 3.4.
My boss wondered why I diddnt want any money for it and I explained that it was a fair trade for the Athlon-64, they are borth from 2003-2004 and about the same speed.
He was amazed! He thought the P4-box was just a couple of years old since it was so speedy.

A little tweaking can do wonders and as long as you got 2gb memory and adblock surfing the web is just as fast as on a new computer.
The same machine without adblock and with a few toolbars and other spyware is dead in the water.
I agree that it is the lack of knowledge that is the main reason computers only a few years old end up in the dumpster.

Earlier this year I picked up an Athlon II X4 640 and motherboard literally from the dumpster! Both worked just fine so go figure...

Haynes Hint to make electronic devices last: Cooling.

For each 10C rise in capacitor temperature it's life is reduced by 50%. […]
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For each 10C rise in capacitor temperature it's life is reduced by 50%.

Assuming a 105C capacitor rated for 1000hr and a 85C capacitor rated for 1000hr:

The 105C
~~~~
At 105C - 1000hr
At 95C - 2000hr
At 85C - 4000hr
At 75C - 8000hr
At 65C - 16,000hr
At 55C - 32,000hr

The 85C
~~~~
At 85C - 1000hr
At 75C - 2000hr
At 65C - 4000hr
At 55C - 8000hr

Also, the quality of voltage regulation does wonders. Todays machines have much, much tighter tolerances to power. A bad PSU is usually what separates a modern machine from dying in a matter of months as opposed to living for many years.

Also quality of components found in systems plays a major role. Modern hardware (TVs, phones, etc included) is like a ballpoint pen, engineered to cease usefulness after a certain amount of time before it's disposed of & replaced.

The forces of obsolescence for mobile devices like iPads are completely different.

• - Their batteries always die.
  - They get broken more.
  - The ability to upgrade software without replacing hardware is significantly curtailed and sometimes prevented by the manufacturer.
  - The churn of communications standards (2G, 3G, 4G) happens on its own timeline.

In the desktop space, I've come to fear buying new parts because so many of them are defective on arrival, but that's not a "lifespan" issue unless you are measuring it in terms of mean time to first failure. (In which case, all of those zeroes will really ruin your score.)

- batteries have a finite lifepsan.
- flash memory has a finite lifespan.
- laptops and tablets have less effective cooling, which fries the north bridge.
- people stick things in them without turning them off - not everything is a USB port !
- computer manufacturers keep changing the shape of the external ports, making them quickly unusable.

A desktop with a laptop motherboard will actually last for ages, because they run so cool. The Pentium 2 and 3, in the socket package, were a lemon. They would fry after only 3-4 years.

john00001 wrote:

The Pentium 2 and 3, in the socket package, were a lemon. They would fry after only 3-4 years.

And Athlons were so cool running... 🙄